Men's preview: No. 23 Oregon

Men's preview: No. 23 Oregon

Men's preview: No. 23 Oregon

23. Oregon

2011-2012 Golfweek rank: 7

Go-to-guy: Robbie Ziegler

Season outlook: Oregon head coach Casey Martin garnered most of the attention this offseason when he qualified for the U.S. Open. Now it’s time for his team to try to stay in the national spotlight. To do so, the Ducks must replace Eugene Wong, Daniel Miernicki and Andrew Vijarro, talented seniors who combined for 19 top 10s and three individual victories last season. Wong and Miernicki were first-team All-Americans and ranked among the top players nationally in scoring average, Wong at 70.4 and Miernicki at 70.7.

Looking to fill the void will be senior Robbie Ziegler and sophomores Jonathan Woo and Rak Cho. Ziegler, the most experienced returnee with 110 career rounds and two NCAA Championship appearances, notched four top 10s last season. He and Woo were in the lineup for Oregon’s 3-2 semifinal loss to eventual national champion Texas at last year’s NCAAs. Woo and Cho saw significant action as freshmen, combining to finish in the top 7 four times. Cho was especially impressive last fall, delivering a second place at the Saint Mary’s Invitational and a T-3 at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational.

Unlike last season’s senior-laden squad, which notched six tournament victories, this season’s roster will include three sophomores and five incoming freshmen, led by Brandon McIver and Zach Foushee.